Teaching poetry has always been one of my favorite units! I especially love reading the amazing poems that students write. Whether you are starting a poetry unit or want to integrate poetry into your curriculum all year long, here are some ideas to make poetry fun and meaningful for your students. Before you begin a poetry unit, you may want to make sure your students are

Minds in Bloom is delighted to welcome Sara of Secondary Sara back to the blog today! Her post is all about getting those primary readers ready for middle school, so we know that you’ll find her tips useful and informative! Confession time: I teach middle school English, and if the fifth and sixth grade ELA teachers below me ever quit or retire, I’m in BIG

Minds in Bloom is pleased to welcome back Christina Gil today! Christina is sharing her techniques for making poetry for kids a fun and engaging experience that enhances their reading, writing, and analyzing skills. With so much to do and so little time, poetry might seem like the kind of activity that teachers plan to do but never quite have time to cover. My guess

I hope your students read real books and articles. I hope you facilitate close reading activities using those books. I hope your students are having lively discussion, thinking deeply, and writing thoughtful reflections about the texts that they read. Unfortunately, creating these opportunities takes a great deal of time, time that you may not have each and every week. It takes time to research appropriate texts

You’ve probably heard that old joke about parents who are shocked to hear their normally well-behaved child swearing up a blue streak. When they inquire as to where the child has learned such colorful language, the answer is, of course, “From you.” Children are constantly watching and listening. They are constantly learning about the world they live in and how they should behave in that

Hi! I am Kelly Malloy from An Apple for the Teacher, and I am so excited to be posting over here on Minds in Bloom! I am a fourth grade teacher in Northern Nevada who believes that my students learn just as much talking to each other as they do talking to me. Classroom discussions are a great way to develop speaking and listening skills

Minds in Bloom is thrilled to welcome Laura Merrick to the blog today! Laura’s family has chosen a life of constant movement, traveling the U.S. east coast and beyond by boat, so she’s sharing her tips for teaching and learning while on the move. Recently, our family took a leap of faith and fulfilled a dream of selling our house, quitting our jobs, and moving

Every New Years, I resolve to be perfect. It must not be a very good resolution because I usually fail pretty quickly. Some years it only takes a few minutes. Obviously, making your goals attainable is a big step in the right direction for both children and adults. Learning to set effective goals is an important skill for children to use, not only when they

Looking for some new books to read out loud to your students (or perhaps your own children)? You’ve come to the right corner of the blog-o-sphere. These books were all suggested by teachers from my Facebook page. Click on the title or the image to for more information on Amazon. Night Tree by Eve Bunting “A family goes out to the woods for what the

Christmas: It’s not only the happiest time of year; it is also the most restless for many students. This holiday season, keep your students focused until the very last minute with these fun Christmas Brain Breaks! Reindeer Names Students stand. Each student decides which of Santa’s reindeer he or she will be (you may want to write the eight names on the board). Students then mill

The holiday season is so much fun, but of course you want your students to be engaged in meaningful work, right up till they finally go home for winter break. These 20 Christmas writing prompts will keep your students writing – and they will have fun too! Pretend you are one of Santa’s elves. Write a journal entry about your day. Personification means giving human

Minds in Bloom is thrilled to welcome Ilinca from the blog Grumpy Dumpling! She’s sharing a fantastic list of vocabulary games for ESL students. Be sure to comment and let us know which ones you play! Teaching English or any other foreign language to kids should be all about fun! Apart from songs and stories, games are the perfect way to make your lessons fun

Let us begin by introducing ourselves…Shari Bithell (Go Beyond) and Krystie Bithell (AdaptEd 4 Special Ed). Though we are separated by some 450 miles, our hearts and teaching approaches remain close! Shari teaches 6th grade in Southern California, with students ranging from SDC, RSP, RTI, and GATE, while Krystie is in Northern California, teaching moderate to severe SDC (generally working at 1st-2nd grade level) in

Minds in Bloom is pleased to welcome Libby from Curious Fox to the blog today! Libby is sharing the lessons she’s had to learn reminding her how important it is to always use the WALT approach when teaching. WALT (We Are Learning to), “learning intentions,” “learning objectives,” or whatever you like to call them have been around for a long time. They consistently appear detailed

I love task cards! I have made a ton of task cards, and I feel really good about having them in my TpT store because I know they are effective and can be used to get kids actively involved in their learning. But sometimes, I make worksheets (currently rebranded as “printables“), and then I don’t feel so good. Worksheets are often not the ideal way

Today, Caitlin and Jessica from EB Academic Camps are sharing five strategies for boosting student interest before starting a new novel. Have you ever been so excited to start a new novel with your students – one you absolutely love and know they will, too – only to discover blank stares and a complete lack of interest? Frustrating, right? To combat this dilemma, we’ve tested